How to Protect Kids From the Flu

Get them vaccinated, get them vaccinated, get them vaccinated

It’s the time of year when parents feel hyper-anxious about their child catching the flu. School is in session, there’s lots of upcoming travel, and the virus is circulating.

While there’s no need to panic — and many fears are unfounded — it is true that the flu can be dangerous for young ones. Robert A. Finkelstein, MD, of the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine of Weill Cornell Medicine, says he often sees young children in the emergency room during flu season. “We see many children with the flu, particularly between late October and late April.”

Children younger than five years old — and especially those younger than two— are at a higher risk for developing complications from the flu, like pneumonia. During the 2018–2019 flu season, 116 children died from the flu. About half of the deaths were among kids who were otherwise healthy. The majority of these deaths were in children who did not get the flu vaccine.

Here is the best way to protect kids from the flu and take care of them if they catch it.

Put the flu shot on your to-do list

There are good habits you can adopt during peak flu season, like making sure children are washing…